Latch for closure operators



y 9, 1929- o. c. JOHNSON LATCH FOR CLOSURE OPERATORS INVENTOR r gill/2% .l (Ill .5 7 b \IIHEE Filed Dec A TTORIVEY.

lit

PATENT OFFICE.

ORVILLE G. JOHNSON,

OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

LATCH FOR CLOSURE OPERATORS.

Application filed December This invention relates to latches for closure operators, and more particularly to such a latch adapted to be actuated automatically in the operation of a door of an automobile garage. The latch is one specially designed for use in connection with the automatically operated door described and claimed in my patent numbered 1,445,692 dated February 20, 1923, and is an improvement upon the latch shown in the said patent.

The object of the invention is to produce a simple and effective latch for automatically operated garage doors, one which will not be operatedexcept when an automobile is entering .or leaving the garage. Another object ofthe invention is the provision in such a latch of limiting stops and of a spring whose effective tension can be ad justed to different weights of cars.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear in the description which follows and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawing, in which i Figure 1 is a vertical section through an automatically operated garage door showing the special application of the latch thereto,

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation of the latch itself, and

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the latch taken upon the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

While the latch has been particularly designed for use in connection with an automatically operated garage door, it Will be appreciated that its usefulness is not so limited; and it will be further appreciated that certain details of the latch as well as certain subcombinations of elements thereof will be useful in latches generally. Except as required by the spirit and language of the appended claims, the inventionis not to be considered as limited in scope.

In Figure 1 is shown certain parts of a garage door in connection with which the latch of this invention is used. The jamb in conjunction with the upper frame; member 1.1 supports a suitable hoist mechanism 12 comprising two drums or their equivalents for the power cable 13 and the lifting cable 14. The drums are intergeared, as more fully described in my said patent, so that a very limited unwinding of 9, 1927. Serial No. 238,867.

the power cable will produce a considerable winding of the lifting cable. At its lower end the power cable is attached to the depressible platform 15 upon the inside of the garage, while the lower end of the lifting cable is attached to the wheel support 16 carried by the lower portion of a door section 17. The door is made of two hingedly connected sections, the upper section 18 carrying the lower section 17. A depressible platform 19 on the outside of the garage is connected to the platform 15 in. such a manner that the adjacent edges: of the two rise and fall together. A turnbuckle 20 in the power cable enables the platforms to be adjusted so that their adjacent edges lie in substantial contact with the lower edge of the door in closed position. The dotted lines 17 and 18 illustrate the position of the door sections when the door is in open condition.

All of these parts have been more fully described in my patent hereinbefore referred to, to which reference is now had for a complete disclosure as well as a full recital of the operation of the parts.

011 the j amb 10 is mounted a plate 21 carrying a hook 22 of the latch, while 011 the door section 17 is mounted any suitable form of keeper 23, which acts with the hook in fastening the door.

The plate 21 is formed with a projection 24 constituting a pivot for the hook 22. It is likewise provided with limiting stops 25 and 26 designed to limit the movement of the hook member to rather narrow limits. An apertured lug 27 at the lower end of the plate is the means of attachment for one end of a spring, while apertures 28 are employed to receive screws to fasten the plate upon the door jamb.

The hook member 22 is formed with a barrel 29 between its ends, fitting upon the pivot projection 24. The latch arm projects forwardly from the barrel and is formed at its end into a bill 30, to engage the keeper 23 on the door section 17. A series of apertures 31 have been provided in the latch arm, in any one of which the upper end of the spring 32 engages, while the lower end of the spring engages the aperture in the lug 27 Projecting from the barrel 24 are supporting arms 33 and 34:, between which is rotatably mounted a roller 35 by means of the pivot bolt 36. The ends of the supporting arms extend beyond the roller 35 to act as holding. guides for the cable 13. The teat 3'7 integral Withlthe barrelextends into the space between the stops 25 and 26. These elements Will permituonly alimitedwmove- '5 ment ofthe hook 22, While the spring 32 will normally hold the hook in the position shown a in Figure 2 With the teat 37 in contact with the stop 26. The barreL29 is held uponthe pivot projection 24 by means of the Washer 38, theiinaohine .screw 39. fittingan. aperture in. theend-of ,the..projection;2 holding, the asher in place.

5 From the foregoing description ot-wthe parts; theirjindividual functions. .Will be ap- :parent. There. remains to complete atull .disclosurea recital of :the mechanical cooper- =ationot; the ,partswith eachother during the :operation of, the aClOOl.

' ,Itwillbe noted-thatthe power cable passes through g theulatch; in extending fromv the rhoist mechanism to; the turnbuckle, which rQflllSQS it to-loe deflected out of av straight line.

Asshown theucable passes over the roller 35 and .betweenthe: supporting arms 33 and 34.

,Itnvill be. further; noted that the supporting -varms; projectrfrom the .barreljat an angle,

placing the :roller below .a horizontal line .-;p.assing tllrolugh,the barrel and to the rearv of a vertical line passing through the. barrel.

The spring 32 acts to move theroller 35 up .vvar.dly.- and rrearwardlyto increase the devia- ..tion of;-tl1epowencable from a true. vertical a line. ,The tension of t-he spring is sufficient to lift, the. adjacent, ends of the platforms and 5 to support upon saidjplatforms any Weight .substantiztllydess than the Weight of .thecar te behoused in the garage. ,The provisionof -the-.apertures731=inthe latch armv will .enable Ean adjustmentof the positionof the spring 40 end to produce a greater .orlesstensionupon .zthe power. cable. n

- Whenacar is .;driven.upon, either of the ,iplatforms, the. power cable isgivenadown- -oyard. pull. xAszthezdoor. is latched andtherestore-cannot. move, the initial .pull on the power;cablerwillqcause.the hook tobe oscillat ed to release thenbillx30. from the, keeper. eThe door; having. been unlatched will rise into the position. shown, by the dotted lines;

and immediately upon the unlatching of the .idoor the spring 32.,wi111iftthe roller, whereby tension of the spring Will-beadded tothe ,wejight of the. car-in producingthe initial ;door. movement.

:the door isv ineopen position, the ql-atch-;,will maintain a rrelease position so alongmasthe weight. of the carremains on 5 pthenplatform. .;As1the..car leavesv the platform, thedoorewill. drop, the platforms rise and thezlateh .-;.assume .a .latched :position.

-Butt;provisionrlhas .been -made, in .the hoist ing said barrel on said .thisapplication). The door falls, however.

withsufiicient forceso that the keeper will act to raise thelatch arm against the ten- .sion of the-spring 32, whereby this spring will act as a shock absorber for the closing door. Itwill therefore be appreciated that the tension of the spring must be selected with relation to the weight of the car to be housed, the Weight of the doors and the construction of the hoist mechanism, in order that aneasy and satisfactory closing oi the door may be accomplishcd.

If it is desired to openthe door without the aid of theautomobile, one may from the 1I1Sld8 0f the'garage stand on the platit'orm and successively push on tho 1)]0110- :tion 33 of the latchcsat each side of thodoor, when the latches will be released. A push outward on the door will cause it to open sufiiciently to makeit safe to start the automobile engine. The doormay be fully opened by pulling upward on the lowerdoor section, and it may be held in its open position by insertinga nail between meshing cogs of the hoist mechanism.

dVhat is claimed is:

1. In a door closing mechanism comprishook-memberfor engaging the power cable to normally press it out of vertical alignment.

2. The combinationof claim 1 wherein limiting stops are provided on the-plate and a teat on the hook member-to limit the move- 'ments of the hook member.

3. In-a latch, asupporting plateadapied to be secured toa door jamb or the like, said plate beingprovided-with apivot pro- 'JGClJlOIl, a lug and lIIHItIHgSl'OPS; a hook.

memberprovidedwith abarrel mounted on said pivot projection, a latcharnrhaving a series of apertures therein, a pair of supporting arms carrying a roller, and-a teatcoactmg with the hunting stops; a spring -.secured in one of theapertures'in the latch arm and to the lug on-the plate, and a washer and holding screw therefor for maintain- V pivot projection. Iii-testimony whereof Iaflix my signature.

r ORVILLE o. Jo'HNsoN. 

